MORE than 2,200 people have signed petitions opposing plans for the £3.5 million revamp of Kidderminster Railway Station.

Traders in the area claim a new traffic light system in Comberton Hill will cause traffic chaos and hit their profits.

They have also been angered by the proposed loss of parking spaces outside their shops which, they say, will affect deliveries and put off customers.

A petition at Captain Cod’s Fish Bar has 1,900 signatures, while more than 300 people have added their names to others at Carol’s Florists and the Party Boutique.

They will be handed into Worcestershire County Council soon, when some more signatures have been collected.

Stelios Mouskos, who runs Captain Cod’s Fish Bar, said: “The people who have signed these are people who matter to us.

“They are our customers and they understand how difficult it will be for us to maintain a business if these plans go ahead.

“We don’t object to the station being improved but if we lose these parking spaces, some businesses on the hill could go bankrupt.”

The campaigners have also put bright orange posters in their shop windows, calling for the parking spaces to be saved.

“We have got customers coming into the shop just to sign the petition because they have seen the posters,” Mr Mouskos said.

The plans for the new station include installation of traffic lights at the entrance junction to the station.

The station scheme also includes a new terminal building and improved bus connections.

A number of public consultation events have been staged in recent weeks and the county council says it will take people’s views into account.

Derek Prodger, Conservative cabinet member for transport and safe environment, said the traffic lights would “control the flow of vehicles into and out of the station”.

He added: “These lights will also make the area, which is currently not particularly pedestrian-friendly, considerably easier and safer to navigate by foot.”